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Breakfast | Mama’s Homemade Buttermilk Rusks. In this article by Mama and The Word. I will show you an easy, and super simple recipe for this delicious breakfast rusk recipe. You can use this as a tasty breakfast treat for when you are on the go or as a filling snack. Don’t forget to comment below if you are new to the blog so that I can welcome you to my kitchen.
When it comes to buttermilk rusks there are two kinds. The shop-bought kind and then there are the traditional homemade buttermilk rusks.
Homemade vs Shop Bought
If you are lucky enough to have tasted the real thing then you are in for a treat with this recipe. You will want these homemade buttermilk rusks every morning with a coffee to start your day.
Why My Family Loves These Homemade Buttermilk Rusks
We all love homemade buttermilk rusks in our house as well as other varieties too. Especially in the Autumn and Winter months.
There is something very heartwarming about tucking into a rusk and a cup of hot tea or coffee to start the day. Rusks are a traditional breakfast for many South Africans.
This particular breakfast dish originated back in the late 1600s. The dish was designed to preserve bread on long journeys by travelers with no means of refrigeration.
It is similar to Biscotti as they are also double-baked in their cooking process.
For more information then check out The History Of South African Rusks Here
Equipment Required To Make Homemade Buttermilk Rusks
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Wooden Spoon
- Food Mixer
- Baking Tin
- Measuring Jug
- Scales
Ingredients Required To Make Homemade Buttermilk Rusks
- Flour
- Butter
- Egg
- Vanilla Essence
- Salt
- Baking Powder
- Buttermilk
- Sugar
Other Great Breakfast Ideas
How To Make Homemade Buttermilk Rusks
Begin by preheating your oven. Set the temperature to 65. c then prepare the baking tins by greasing them with butter.
Sift the flour, salt, and baking powder into a large mixing bowl, then rub the butter into the dry ingredients.
Once all the butter is worked into the dry ingredients it will form a breadcrumb-like texture. When everything is combined it will look like this.
At this point beat the egg in a jug and then add the buttermilk and vanilla. Mix this all together until it is combined. Add the sugar to this mixture and stir once again.
Pour the liquid into the bowl and mix it thoroughly until it becomes a dough. Knead the dough until it becomes more elastic in texture.
TIP: if needed add more flour if the dough is too sticky to work with.
Place the dough into two baking tins. I prefer to use a 28 x 22 x 4.5cm baking tin but you could use a loaf tin or whatever will work for you in your kitchen.
These tins are great for cooking rusks, shortbread, brownies, and much more. However, you can use whatever you have in your cupboard.
Place the tins into the oven and then bake for 45 minutes. They should rise, at this point, you can remove the dough and place it on the cooling rack. Increase the temperature of the oven to 180c.
When the oven is to temperature then place the dough back into the oven to bake for another 45 minutes.
When the baking time is completed, remove the tins and turn out the freshly baked dough onto the cooling rack.
To Dry Homemade Buttermilk Rusks
Once the buttermilk rusk is cooled enough then they can be cut into slices as shown below. These can then be placed onto the wire racks of the oven as a single layer so that they can dry out slowly.
This can be a slow process but it is worth the wait. The oven should be set again to 65c and the rusk should be turned every two hours. this should be done over 8 hours.
When dried out the rusk can be stored in an airtight container or jar and they will stay fresh for a week. However, they never last this long in our house.
These delicious rusks are a labor of love but are well worth the time and effort. They are best served with a strong hot cup of coffee. I prefer mine with a wonderful cup of tea.
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Mama’s Homemade Buttermilk Rusks
Description
Homemade buttermilk rusks are deliciously light & crumbly. Great with coffee for breakfast or when you need a snack on the go.
Ingredients
Instructions
- First, start by preheating your oven. Set the temperature to 65. c, 150. f, or Gas Mark 1.
- Next grease your baking tins and line with greaseproof paper.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt into a large mixing bowl or food mixer.
- Add butter to the dry ingredients and rub together until it forms a crumble-like consistency.
- At this point beat the egg in a bowl or jug and then add the buttermilk and vanilla. Mix it together and then add the sugar.
- Pour the liquid into the bowl and mix thoroughly until it becomes a dough.
- Place the dough onto a floured surface and knead until it becomes more elastic in texture.
- Place the dough into two baking tins. For this recipe, I use a 28x22x4.5cm baking tine but you can use any deep trays that you have at home.
- Place the tins into the oven and then bake for 45 minutes. The dough should rise, at this point remove the dough from the oven and place it on a cooling rack.
- Increase the temperature of the oven to 180. c, 350. f, or Gas Mark 4. When the oven is to temperature place the tins back into the oven for another 45 minutes.
- Once the baking time is completed, remove the tins and turn out the freshly baked dough onto a cooling rack.
- When the rusk is cooled it can then be cut into slices. You should be able to cut 20 pieces per tray.
- They can then be placed onto wire racks in the oven so that they can dry out slowly.
- This can be a slow process but it is well worth the wait. The oven should be reset to 65. c, 150. f, or Gas Mark 1. The Rusk should be turned every two hours over an eight-hour period.
- When the rusk has dried out it can be stored in an airtight container or jar. They will stay fresh for a week. However, they never last that long in our house.
- These delicious rusks are a labor of love but they are well worth the time and effort. They are best served with a strong cup of coffee. I prefer mine with a nice cup of tea.
